EVALUATION OF THE SAFEGUARDABILITY OF ALTERNATIVE FUEL CYCLES

A methodology has been developed for the evaluation of the safeguardability of alternative nuclear fuel cycles. These fuel cycles are broken down by discrete material balance areas according to existing IAEA practices. The facilities and nuclear materials processed, stored, or used in the fuel cycle facilities are characterized. Consideration is given to material movement and the relative difficulty of extracting weapons usable quantities of nuclear material. The methodology developed is applied to determine the safeguardability of entire fuel cycles and components thereof within the context of the current IAEA safeguards system.